Flush valve actuating mechanism



Dec. 27, 1960 Filed 001;. 5, 1959 am]- 1 gamlal 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 f I i-J INVENTOR C'HARL Es $.GA/WFA 7 7, JR.

ATTORNEY Dec? 1960 c. s. GARRATT, JR 2,965,905

FLUSH VALVE ACTUATING MECHANISM Filed 001,. 5, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 CHA/PL 9 5'. GAP/PH 7' 7, JR.

INVENTOR ATTORNEY United States Patent O FLUSH VALVE ACTUATING MECHANISM Charles S. Garratt, Jr., P.(). Box 190, Suffolk, Va.

Filed Oct. 5, 1959, Ser. No. 844,484

3 Claims. (Cl. 4-67) This invention relates to a novel flush valve actuating mechanism and constitutes an improvement on Patent No. 2,482,970, issued September 27, 1949.

A primary object of the present invention is to provide a flush valve actuating mechanism by which the conventional two-wire interconnected suspension for a flush valve is replaced by a single wire suspension actuated by a mechanism of extremely simple construction by means of which binding of the parts is reduced to a minimum and the single lift wire or rod, which is connected to and rises from the flush valve, has a two-point guide to ensure accurate guiding of the flush valve back to the valve seat.

A further object of the invention is to provide an actuating mechanism capable of being applied to overflow pipes or tubes of different lengths without modification of any of the parts of the mechanism, and wherein the mechanism includes elements adjustably supported on the overflow tube and which may be readily adjusted to most conveniently position said elements for attachment to a lift wire and rod and also to the manually actuated toilet flushing handle or knob.

A further object of the invention is to provide a mechanism including parts which may be readily adjusted relative to the overflow tube for correctly centering a part of the mechanism in axial alignment with the seat of the flush valve.

A further object of the invention is to provide a mechanism including parts capable of being adjusted longitudinally, circumferentially and radially relative to the overflow tube by which the parts are supported.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a flush valve actuating mechanism having novel means for connecting a part of the mechanism attached to the toilet flushing handle or knob to a part of the mechanism which is connected to and actuates the flush valve, whereby relative positions of said parts do not affect the functioning of the mechanism.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawings, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

Figure l is a side elevational view, partly in section and partially fragmentary, of the improved flush valve mechanism, shown in an applied position, and including certain of the parts of a conventional flush tank with which the actuating mechanism is associated;

Figure 2 is a top plan view thereof;

Figure 3 is a somewhat enlarged vertical sectional view taken substantially along the line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 4-4 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view, taken substantially along the line 5-5 of Figure 2, and

Figure 6 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 6-6 of Figure 1.

.the bottom 11.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, for the purpose of illustrating the application and use of the hush valve actuating mechanism 8, comprising the invention, a portion of a conventional flush tank 9 has been illustrated including a part of the front wall 10 and bottom 11 thereof. The bottom 11 has the usual opening 12 through which a conventional outlet flitting 13 ex tends, and which is secured in a conventional manner to The outlet fitting 13 has an open upper end defining an upwardly facing valve seat 14 which is internally disposed relative to the flush tank 9. Said fitting 13 includes a laterally extending conduit portion 15 providing a support for an upwardly extending over flow tube or pipe 16. A conventional flush valve or ball 24 normally engages the seat 14 for closing the outlet fitting 13, except for the pasage formed by the lateral extension 15 between the overflow tube 16 and a part of the fitting l3'clisposed below the valve seat 14. The parts 9 through 16 and 24 are conventional and have been disclosed merely to illustrate the application and use of the trip mechanism 8.

A guide, designated generally 17, includes a split clamping band 18 which is detachably and adjustably clamped around a part of the tube 16 and which supports an arm 19 which extends radially therefrom and which terminates in a guide sleeve 20 the axis of which is dis posed substantially parallel to the axis of the tube 16. The guide 17 is adjnstably positioned on the tube 16 so that the guide sleeve 26 will be disposed .above and spaced from the fitting 13 and in axial alignment with the valve seat 14. The guide 17 may be of any conventional construction and the radial arm 19 thereof may be formed of extensibly connected sections, corresponding to the arm 45, 47 of my prior Patent No. 2,482,970, previously referred to. Also, in lieu of the guide sleeve20, the arm 19 may be provided with an opening at its outer end to slidably receive the lift wire or rod, as shown in Figure 5 of my prior patent.

The lift wire or rod 21 extends slidably through the guide sleeve 20 and has a threaded lower end 22 which is threadedly secured in the upwardly extending neck 23 of the flush valve 24, in a conventional manner. The wire or rod 21 is longer than the conventional lower lift wire. As it is desirable that said wire be of approximately the same weight as the conventional lower lift wire which is I attached to a flush valve, the wire 21 is made smaller in cross section and has a loose fitting sliding engagement in the guide sleeve 29. The upper end of the wire 21 is turned back upon itself to form a loop or eye 25 constituting a stop, for a purpose which will hereinafter become apparent. The wire 21, due to its increased length, constitutes a part ofthe flush valve actuating mechanism 8.

Said mechanism 8 additionally includes a collar 26 of a proper internal size to fit slidably and turnably around the overflow tube 16. A setscrew27 is threaded radially through a part of the collar 26 and is tightened for ad justably clamping said collar to the tube 16. The collar 26 has an enlargement or projection 28 which may be formed integral therewith and which extends radially outward from a part thereof, as best-illustrated in Figures 1 and 3. Said projection 28 is provided with a'bore 29 extending vertically therethrough and which bore is thus disposed substantially parallel to the axis of the collar the setscrew 30. The post 32 has a somewhat enlarged bifurcated upper portion 33 in the upper part of which is loosely received a part of a rocker arm 34. A pivot fastening 35 extends through the upper part of the bifurcated portion 33 and loosely through an opening 36 of the rocker arm 34, as best seen in Figure 3, for mounting said rocker arm for vertical swinging or rocking movement relative to the post. The rocker arm 34 is in the form of a bar having a shorter end which is provided with an elongated upwardly opening notch 37, the inner end of which notch is in the form of a shoulder 38 which is disposed crosswise of the rocker arm. The notch includes a bottom portion 39 which is disposed substantially parallel to the longitudinal edges of the bar, forming said rocker arm, and which merges with and is disposed substantially at a right angle to the lower or inner end of the shoulder 38. The outer end 40 of the notch 37 constitutes an upwardly curved extension of the other end of the notch bottom 39, as best seen in Figure 1.

The other longer end of the rocker arm 34 terminates in a flattened portion 41 of increased width, transversely of the rocker arm, as best seen in Figure 2, and which is downwardly oflset relative to the upper edge of said rocker arm. The rocker arm end 41 has a countersink 42 in its underside and a restricted opening 43 in the upper side thereof. Said opening 43 communicates with the restricted upper or inner end of the countersink 42 and combines therewith to form a passage 42, 43, having a restricted upper end and a flared lower end, through which an upper portion of the lift wire or rod 21 loosely extends.

A lever 47 is pivotally connected at one end thereof by a fastening 48 to the bifurcated portion 33, beneath and spaced from the pivot 35, for swinging movement of said lever 47 in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of swinging movement of the rocker arm 34. A stud 49 is fixed to and projects outwardly from an inner side of the lever 47 and is disposed to fit loosely in the notch 37. Thus, the lever 47 extends upwardly at an incline from its pivot 48 to the notch 37 The upper end of the lever '47 is provided with an opening 50 in which a cotter pin 51 is detachably mounted. The eye of the cotter pin 51 detachably engages between beads of a conventional bead chain 52 for attaching one end of said chain to the lever 47. The end portions of the lever 47 are preferably disposed at an obtuse angle to one another which is slightly less than 180, and the stud 49 is preferably disposed approximately at the apex of said lever ends. The upper portion of the lever extends upwardly from the stud 49 at an incline back toward an extension of the axis of the post 32, as seen in Figure 1; however, this is not essential and the lever 47 could be straight.

As best seen in Figure 4, a bushing 53 extends through an opening 54 of the front tank wall and is detachably secured therein by a thumbnut 55. A rod or shaft 56 extends through and is journaled in said bushing 53. A knob or handle 57 is secured to the outer end of the rod 56 and is disposed externally of the tank wall 10. The rod 56 has a laterally turned inner end forming a lever arm 58 which is provided with a transverse opening 59 adjacent its terminal and spaced from the axis of said rod 56. Said lever arm 58 is disposed within the flush tank 9. The eye of a cotter pin 60 selectively engages between beads of the chain 52, near its other end, and said cotter pin engages detachably in the opening 59 for detachably and adjustably connecting the chain 52 to the lever arm 58.

In the normal position of the parts as seen in Figure 1 and with the flush valve 24 in a closed position engaging the valve seat 14, the rocker arm 34 is inclined downwardly toward its end 41, and when thus disposed the stud 49 engages the shoulder 38 and bottom 39 of the notch 37 to prevent further rocking movement of the rocker arm 34 in a clockwise direction. The chain 52 is disposed substantially taut between the cotter pins 51 and 60 and the lever arm 58 preferably extends from the axis of the rod 56 toward the upper end of the lever 47, so that by turning the knob or handle 57 in either direction said lever arm 58 will be swung away from the upper end of the lever 47. When the rocker arm 34 is in its normal position of Figure 1, the eye or stop 25 is preferably disposed about one-quarter of an inch above the upper surface of the rocker arm end 41, which constitutes an upper guide for the lift wire 21.

With the parts positioned as seen in Figure 1, to trip the fiush valve actuating mechanism 8, the knob or handle 57 is turned in either direction to turn the rod 56 for swinging lever arm 58 in either direction away from lever 47 for exerting a pull from right to left on the chain 52 for swinging the lever 47 in a counterclockwise direction about its pivot 48. This movement of the lever 47 causes the stud 49 to ride outwardly along the notch bottom 39 and into engagement with the rounded outer end 40 of said notch to produce a camming action by which the rocker arm 34 is rocked counterclockwise about its pivot 35, for swinging the notched end of said arm downwardly and the end 41 thereof upwardly. As the rocker arm end 41 swings upwardly the upper surface thereof, around the opening 43, engages the loop or abutment 25, after which the lift wire or rod 21 moves upwardly with said end 41 for lifting the flush valve or ball 24 out of engagement with the seat 14. After the rod 21 and valve 24 have been lifted somewhat more than an inch and before the valve neck 23 reaches the guide 20, a portion of the bottom edge of the rocker arm 34 will strike a stop 61 which is secured to the bifurcated portion 33 and spans one side of the slot thereof, to prevent further counterclockwise movement of the rocker arm 34 and further turning of the handle 57 and rod 56 in counterclockwise directions. This will occur before the stud 49 can move out of engagement with the rounded cam surface 40 of the notch 37. Upon release of the handle 57, the rocker arm end 41, due to its preponderance of weight, causes the rocker arm 34 to swing clockwise back to its position of Figure 1, for swinging the lever 47 in the same direction and for causing the handle 57, rod 56 and lever arm 58 to turn back to their positions of Figure 1. During this clockwise rocking movement of the rocker arm 34, the end 41 swings and slides relative to the rod 21 so that the opening 43 resumes a position directly above the guide sleeve 20 to cooperate therewith for guiding the lift wire or rod 21 when it thereafter moves downwardly with the flush valve 24, to ensure return of the flush valve to a correct engagement on the seat 14, after the contents of the tank 9 has been discharged through the outlet fitting 13.

It will be readily apparent that the collar 26 can be adjusted vertically and circumferentially on the tube 16, and the post 32 can also be adjusted vertically and turnably in the collar enlargement 28 to adjust the position of the opening 43 of the end 41 circumferentially, longitudinally and radially relative to the tube 16 to correctly center said opening over the guide sleeve 20 and valve seat 14 and at a correct elevation relative to the looped upper end of the lift wire 21. This substantial universal adjustment of the trip mechanism 8 enables use of said mechanism with substantially all conventional flush tank fittings wherein the spacing varies between the centers of the valve seat and overflow tube. In addition, the adjustability of the trip mechanism permits its use with overflow tubes of different lengths and without the necessity of using lift wires or rods of different lengths.

Very frequently, the free end of the handle actuated lever arm 58 is disposed above, below or at various angles relative to the upper end of the lever 47. However, the flexible connection afforded by the beaded chain 52 will permit free operation of the parts even where said chain is inclined upwardly or downwardly between the cotter pins 51 and 60 as well as extending at an angle relative to the plane of the front wall 10.

It will also be noted that all parts of the mechanism 8 may be applied to and removed from the flush tank 9 and overflow tube 16 without the use of tools and may be adjusted without restort to tools. The trip mechanism 8 will not interfere with other conventional parts of a flush tank, not shown, such as the after-fill tube.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated and may be resorted to, without departing from the function or scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A flush valve operating mechanism comprising, in combination with a flush tank having an outlet fitting supported by and extending through the tank bottom and including an upwardly opening valve seat and an upwardly extending overflow tube laterally offset from said valve seat, a flush valve engaging said valve seat, and a guide supported by the overflow tube and having a guide portion disposed above and in alignment with the axis of said valve seat; a lift wire extending slidably through said guide portion and having a lower end connected to the flush valve, a rocker arm, a post pivotally mounting said rocker arm in laterally offset relation to said tube for rocking movement in substantially a vertical plane and about a point spaced from the ends of said rocker arm, a collar slidably and turnably mounted on the overflow tube, means adjustably clamping the collar to the tube, an enlargement projecting outwardly from a part of the collar, said post being slidably and turnably supported in the enlargement and substantially perpendicular to the collar, means adjustably clamping said post to the enlargement, one end of the rocker arm having means forming an upper guide including an opening through which an upper portion of the lift wire loosely extends, said lift wire having an enlargement disposed above and engageable by said upper guide for causing the lift wire and flush valve to be displaced upwardly by upward swinging movement of the upper guide with said rocker arm end, a lever having a lower end pivotally connected to said post beneath said rocker arm pivot for swinging movement of said lever about the pivot thereof in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of swinging movement of the rocker arm, means connected to the opposite upper free end of said lever for swinging the lever about its pivot in a direction away from said upper guide, and means forming a sliding cam connection between an intermediate portion of said lever and the other end portion of said rocker arm whereby swinging movement of the lever away from the upper guide will effect a rocking movement of the rocker arm in the same direction as the lever for elevating said first mentioned rocker arm end and said upper guide.

2. A flush valve actuating mechanism as in claim 1, said cam means comprising a stud projecting laterally from an intermediate portion of said lever toward said rocker arm,'said last mentioned rocker arm end having an elongated upwardly opening notch including an upwardly curved outer portion forming a cam surface, said stud slidably engaging in said notch and moving into engagement with said cam surface for swinging the rocker arm in unison with said lever when the lever is swung away from the first mentioned rocker arm end, said notch having a bottom portion and inner end engaged by said stud to limit swinging movement of the lever toward the first mentioned rocker arm end and to limit rocking movement of the rocker arm in the same direction.

3. in combination with a flush tank outlet fitting including an upwardly opening valve seat, an upwardly extending overflow tube laterally offset from said valve seat, a flush valve engaging said valve seat, and a lift wire connected to and extending upwardly from the flush valve and having an upper end provided with an enlargement; a flush valve operating mechanism including a collar slidably and turnably mounted on the overflow tube, means adjustably clamping the collar to the tube, an enlargement projecting outwardly from a part of said collar, a post slidably and turnably supported in the enlargement and substantially perpendicular to the collar, means adjustab-ly clamping said post to the enlargement, a rocker arm pivotally connected to said post for rocking movement in substantially a vertical plane about a point spaced from the ends of said rocker arm, one end of said rocker arm having means forming an upper guide loosely embracing said lift wire beneath the lift wire enlargement, and means engageable with said rocker arm for swinging said rocker arm about the pivot thereof in a direction for elevating the upper guide to cause the upper guide to engage the lift wire enlargement for raising the lift wire and flush valve.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,482,970 Garratt Sept. 27, 1949 2,573,869 Offutt Nov. 6, 1951 2,843,854 McKinnon July 22, 1958 

